A police superintendent who was drunk on his way home from a concert feared he was being kidnapped when a taxi driver took him a different way, it was claimed in court today.

Robert James Kirman, who resigned from the North Wales force last week, repeatedly shouted abuse and banged on a Perspex window between him and the driver, who feared for his safety.

Sardesh Hassan drove to Wrexham town centre where he hoped he would be safe, but there Kirman tried to drag him out of the driver’s seat.

Kirman, 47, of St Mellion’s Crescent in Wrexham, admitted assault, criminal damage and a public order offence following the incident on August 12 last year.

At Flintshire Magistrates’ Court at Mold, he was fined £733, was ordered to pay £366 compensation for the damage and £200 loss of earnings, together with £85 prosecution costs.

Robert James Kirman (Image: Andrew Price/View Finder Pictures)

District Judge Richard Williams said: “The complainant is entirely blameless and did nothing whatsoever to cause or contribute in any way towards what happened to him.”

Kirman had lost his good character and his 20-year police career, where he had displayed exemplary conduct, said the judge.

The court heard his partner, Paula Vaughan-Smith, 48, accepted a caution for a public order offence and proceedings against her had been dropped. She had since lost her administrative job with North Wales Police.

Kirman accepted that he was drunk when they got a taxi home from the Rock The Park concert at Marchwiel near Wrexham.

Temporary traffic management measures had been put in place and the taxi driver went down country lanes as directed.

Victim Sardesh Hassan (Image: Andrew Price/View Finder Pictures)

There was an £8 fixed fare, but it was claimed Mrs Vaughan-Smith mistook the time on the meter for a fare and Kirman started shouting and asking the driver where he was going.

Mr Hassan stopped at one stage to re-check the post code for the sat nav and assured them that he was taking them home, said prosecutor Robert Blakemore.

But CCTV footage was played in which Kirman could be heard repeatedly shouting “where are you taking us?”, “stop the car”, “stop driving” and “stop the f***ing car or I will smash your face in.”

The driver was advised by his taxi firm to go to a place of safety, and Mr Blakemore said he drove to “club land” in Wrexham and stopped outside Ironworks night club, where he knew there would be CCTV and door staff.

CCTV showed the vehicle pulling up and the defendant trying to pull the driver out of his seat.

His partner said the driver had been taking them “a silly way” and had been rude to them, and the defendant told two special constables who arrived: “I am Superintendent Rob Kirman but I don’t want to use that.”

He said he had been “treated like sh*t”.

Kirman later rang an incident inspector and said that he had been taken miles out of their way, as if they were being kidnapped.

He claimed he told the two specials what had gone on and he thought they realised that “he was not the bad guy”.

Interviewed, Kirman said he started to get “really frightened” and started to think that they were being taken against their will and could be seriously harmed.

Asked about the banging and the foul language, he said he was trying to get the driver angry so that he would stop and they could escape.

Defending barrister Neil Usher said it was “15 minutes of shameful, drunken and aggressive behaviour”.

“There was a degree of confusion in his mind at the time brought about by excessive drinking,” said Mr Usher.

“He is keen for me to express his sincere apologies.”

During his career, Kirman had been commended on a number of occasions and had been presented with the Royal Humane Society Award after he saved the life of a man who was trying to commit suicide.